1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display apparatus and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to a touch screen display apparatus and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Touch screen display apparatuses are input apparatuses that can replace keyboards and mice. To perform a desired task using a touch screen display apparatus, users may touch a touch screen, which is implemented on a liquid crystal panel, by using various instruments, such as a hand or a pen. Thus, touch screen display apparatuses are advantageous apparatuses which enable users to perform an intuitive task in a graphic user interface (“GUI”) environment. Touch screen display apparatuses can be used extensively in the fields of application of computer-based training and simulation, office automation, education, games, and the like.
A touch screen display apparatus includes a liquid crystal panel which displays image information, a separate touch panel which is additively attached to the liquid crystal panel, a controller, a device driver and application software.
The liquid crystal panel includes a common electrode display panel including a common electrode and a thin-film transistor (“TFT”) display panel including a TFT array. The common electrode display panel and the TFT display panel face each other, and are joined with each other by a seal line which is interposed between them. In addition, a liquid crystal layer is disposed in a gap between the common electrode display panel and the TFT display panel.
As described above, the liquid crystal panel includes two display panels (e.g., the common electrode display panel and the TFT display panel) including electrodes and the liquid crystal layer inserted between the two display panels. The liquid crystal panel is designed to display images by applying a voltage to the electrodes to rearrange liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer, and thus adjust the amount of light that passes through the liquid crystal layer.
Since the liquid crystal panel is a non-light-emitting device, a backlight unit, which provides light, is disposed behind the TFT display panel. When light emitted from the backlight unit passes through the liquid crystal layer, the transmittance of the light is determined by the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules.
The separate touch panel additionally includes two substrates which face each other, upper and lower conductive layers which are disposed on the two substrates, respectively, and a plurality of auxiliary spacers which are interposed between the upper and lower conductive layers. When a user presses a point on the touch panel by using the hand or the pen, the upper conductive layer and the lower conductive layer contact each other at the point and thus are electrically connected to each other. Accordingly, the location information of the point is detected.
Conventional touch screen display apparatuses structured as described above are used as a component of, in particular, personal digital assistants (“PDAs”) and mobile communication devices (e.g., mobile phones).